Much as it is possible to criticise SJM and Nigel ( two very different and possibly flawed personalities ) they ultimately had the best interests of RFC at the centre of what they did, albeit for different reasons. They knew little about football, but were guided and influenced by Nick Hammond and Ian Wood-Smith ( both now absent from the Boardroom for different reasons)

The rot really started not with Anton ( who was naive , but well intentioned ) but the influence of Samuelson, Oblenski and the two Andersons , who were after making money out of the Club. Paroj then came along with the Thai deal, and agents continued to proliferate.

The Thais quickly moved on from the football side to making potentially a great deal of money for themselves from REP, and we now have the Chinese siblings, whose intentions remain unclear as they choose to take such a low profile and do not communicate at all with the fan base ( the total opposite to SJM !)

I would be willing to give the Chinese owners the benefit of the doubt for the moment, but we now have Gourlay in total control of the Football Club ( Nigel is running the REP project and SJM is totally marginalised ) and that potentially is the biggest disaster to date

bagman Much as it is possible to criticise SJM and Nigel ( two very different and possibly flawed personalities ) they ultimately had the best interests of RFC at the centre of what they did, albeit for different reasons. They knew little about football, but were guided and influenced by Nick Hammond and Ian Wood-Smith ( both now absent from the Boardroom for different reasons)

The rot really started not with Anton ( who was naive , but well intentioned ) but the influence of Samuelson, Oblenski and the two Andersons , who were after making money out of the Club. Paroj then came along with the Thai deal, and agents continued to proliferate.

The Thais quickly moved on from the football side to making potentially a great deal of money for themselves from REP, and we now have the Chinese siblings, whose intentions remain unclear as they choose to take such a low profile and do not communicate at all with the fan base ( the total opposite to SJM !)

I would be willing to give the Chinese owners the benefit of the doubt for the moment, but we now have Gourlay in total control of the Football Club ( Nigel is running the REP project and SJM is totally marginalised ) and that potentially is the biggest disaster to date

This.

Tony Le Mesmer I would politely suggest that the current problems at the club have literally fck all to do with what formation we play.

The whole ethos of the club has gone from one extreme to the other. The whole club is absolutely rotten. Owners, directors, manager, coaches, players, fans. The whole lot.

The board needs someone with more football knowledge, not necessarily a board member. This would normally be the director of football but I don't think we have the right person in place in terms of experience of the club/game/league etc combined with a manager in a similar situation.

I don't know what the situation is with our scouting network, Do they even scout players/games in this country? - If they see a future opponent totally demolish a team similar to ourselves or better playing the same tactics as us, shouldn't that give the manager some food for thought?

Mark my words, the Thais were in for the money to be gleaned from the land around the stadium and the Chinese will end up building on the stadium itself if something is not done and soon. I'd like to think that STAR are trying to arrange meetings with someone on the board, in order to allay our fears, but I doubt they'll have much luck.

For them, if the club goes down and down the leagues, the Chinese will be happy - develop the ground and we'll be playing at Prospect Park. Or sharing with Aldershot.

Royal Lady Mark my words, the Thais were in for the money to be gleaned from the land around the stadium and the Chinese will end up building on the stadium itself if something is not done and soon. I'd like to think that STAR are trying to arrange meetings with someone on the board, in order to allay our fears, but I doubt they'll have much luck.

For them, if the club goes down and down the leagues, the Chinese will be happy - develop the ground and we'll be playing at Prospect Park. Or sharing with Aldershot.

Royal Lady Mark my words, the Thais were in for the money to be gleaned from the land around the stadium and the Chinese will end up building on the stadium itself if something is not done and soon. I'd like to think that STAR are trying to arrange meetings with someone on the board, in order to allay our fears, but I doubt they'll have much luck.

For them, if the club goes down and down the leagues, the Chinese will be happy - develop the ground and we'll be playing at Prospect Park. Or sharing with Aldershot.

you mean like, JS being under their contract for the £ and property?

No I mean they obviously don't care that he is dragging us down the league with his refusal to change tactics etc - so they not bothered about replacing him - they know he'll go when another team comes in for him while we languish down the lower leagues. Until these new owners come out and say otherwise, that's what I'm going with!

Royal Lady Mark my words, the Thais were in for the money to be gleaned from the land around the stadium and the Chinese will end up building on the stadium itself if something is not done and soon. I'd like to think that STAR are trying to arrange meetings with someone on the board, in order to allay our fears, but I doubt they'll have much luck.

For them, if the club goes down and down the leagues, the Chinese will be happy - develop the ground and we'll be playing at Prospect Park. Or sharing with Aldershot.

you mean like, JS being under their contract for the £ and property?

No I mean they obviously don't care that he is dragging us down the league with his refusal to change tactics etc - so they not bothered about replacing him - they know he'll go when another team comes in for him while we languish down the lower leagues. Until these new owners come out and say otherwise, that's what I'm going with!

its a little bit convoluted though, isn't it?

they could have just bought the greyhound stadium land, would have been cheaper, and it wouldn't have needed a plan to slowly bankrupt a championship football club through poor management decisions to do so

Until these new owners come out and say otherwise

"We can confirm, that contrary to what one mad old bat in the interweb says, we are not deliberately ruining this football club in order to facilitate us building an underground shopping centre"

Royal Lady Mark my words, the Thais were in for the money to be gleaned from the land around the stadium and the Chinese will end up building on the stadium itself if something is not done and soon. I'd like to think that STAR are trying to arrange meetings with someone on the board, in order to allay our fears, but I doubt they'll have much luck.

For them, if the club goes down and down the leagues, the Chinese will be happy - develop the ground and we'll be playing at Prospect Park. Or sharing with Aldershot.

Royal Lady Mark my words, the Thais were in for the money to be gleaned from the land around the stadium and the Chinese will end up building on the stadium itself if something is not done and soon. I'd like to think that STAR are trying to arrange meetings with someone on the board, in order to allay our fears, but I doubt they'll have much luck.

For them, if the club goes down and down the leagues, the Chinese will be happy - develop the ground and we'll be playing at Prospect Park. Or sharing with Aldershot.

Royal Lady Mark my words, the Thais were in for the money to be gleaned from the land around the stadium and the Chinese will end up building on the stadium itself if something is not done and soon. I'd like to think that STAR are trying to arrange meetings with someone on the board, in order to allay our fears, but I doubt they'll have much luck.

For them, if the club goes down and down the leagues, the Chinese will be happy - develop the ground and we'll be playing at Prospect Park. Or sharing with Aldershot.

Royal Lady Mark my words, the Thais were in for the money to be gleaned from the land around the stadium and the Chinese will end up building on the stadium itself if something is not done and soon. I'd like to think that STAR are trying to arrange meetings with someone on the board, in order to allay our fears, but I doubt they'll have much luck.

For them, if the club goes down and down the leagues, the Chinese will be happy - develop the ground and we'll be playing at Prospect Park. Or sharing with Aldershot.

Royal Lady Mark my words, the Thais were in for the money to be gleaned from the land around the stadium and the Chinese will end up building on the stadium itself if something is not done and soon. I'd like to think that STAR are trying to arrange meetings with someone on the board, in order to allay our fears, but I doubt they'll have much luck.

For them, if the club goes down and down the leagues, the Chinese will be happy - develop the ground and we'll be playing at Prospect Park. Or sharing with Aldershot.

I was about in the days of the proposed Thames Valley Royals merger - no-one could have foretold that little scenario a few years previously. It is clear the Chinese are not interested in the football side of things, so what are they interested in?

I was about in the days of the proposed Thames Valley Royals merger - no-one could have foretold that little scenario a few years previously. It is clear the Chinese are not interested in the football side of things, so what are they interested in?

Nobody knows what they are interested in, think that's the issue for a lot of supporters. Any sort of statement would be welcome, long overdue.